Van Drunen’s pick at first seemed kind of dull and predictable–a history book, about WWII? I never would have expected, Mr. Hail of Bullets! But the way he describes it and the meaning he ascribes to it make it sound much more brutal than dry. If it can really get that meaning across, it must be a great book indeed.

I made the “mistake” of web researching that title and then getting stuck on the “Battle of Stalingrad” Wikipedia page for about an additional half-an-hour. That was four hours ago and I am still creeped out and repulsed. Just go read few Amazon reviews for it. It’s out of print and apparently not that easy to find.

Nothing dull about any facet of WWII or someone’s focus on it. It’s an endlessly fascinating conflict. Stalingrad is amazing. Another book in the lowest-of-human-lows-in-WWII saga is The Rape of Nanking by Iris Chang. I didn’t enjoy one second of that book. Everyone should read it.

The Art of War is probably one of the books that I keep going back and forth with since I started reading it at age 10. You don’t need to be a participant in any sort of military training to fully appreciate it’s lessons. It certainly helped me navigate through the chaos of adult life.